Heney levaen



(No Model.)

H. LEVARN. POTATO BIGGER.

No. 389,970. Patented Sept. 25 1888.

N. PETERS. Phala-Lflhognphur. Wuhingion. D. C.

UNTTED TATES PATENT @Tmcn,

HENRY LEVARN, OF VERGENNES, VERMONT.

POTATO-DIGGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 389.970, datedSeptember 25, 1888.

Application filed May 4, 1888. Serial No. 272.784 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, HENRY LEVARN, a citizen ofthe United States,residing at Vergennes, in the county of Addison and State of Vermont,have invented a new and useful Improvement in Potato-Diggers, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in potatodiggers; and itconsistsin thepeculiar construction and combination of devices, thatwill be more fully set forth hereinafter, and particularly pointed outin the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of apot-atodigger embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of thesame. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same.

A represents a rectangular frame, which comprises a pair of side bars,B, and a front bar, 0, connectingthe front ends thereof. The said frontbar is provided with a clevis or other attachment, D, for the tongue orpole.

E represents a cross bar,whieh connects the rear ends of side bars, B,and has its ends turned downward to form standards F. The lower ends ofsaid standards are provided with inwardly-projecting spindles, on whichare journaled sprocket-wheels G.

H represents a pair of standards, which de pend from the sides of theframe, at a suitable distance from the front end thereof, and in thesaid standards are bearings, in which is jour-. naled a transverseshaft, 1. The said shaft is provided with sprocket-wheels K, which arekeyed thereto, and are arranged on the inner sides of the standard andin line withthe wheels G, and to one of the projecting ends of the shaftis keyed a spur-pinion, L.

M represents a drivingshaft, which is journaled transversely in suitablebearingblocks on the under side of the frame, and at a suitable distancein advance of the standards H. To the extremities of the said shaft aresecured driving and supporting wheels N, which are connected to theshaft by pawl-and-ratehet movements, so that the said wheels are adaptedto turn the shaft when the machine is progressing forward, and areadapted to rotate idly on the shaft in a retrograde direction when themachine is being turned or backed. Rigidly secured to the said shaft M,near one end thereof, is a spunwheel, O, which meshes with the pinion L.

Secured to the center of the shaft M isahub or enlargement, P. v

It represents a series of sweeparins, which are arranged diagonally onthe periphery of said hub or enlargement, and are secured thereto bymeans of U shaped keepers S, the arms of which pass through openings Ton the rear side of the sweep-arms, and are secured in the hub orenlargement. These keepers are of sufficient length to enable thesweep-arms to be moved in and out upon them toward and from the offsetor hub. The outer edges of the said sweep arms are curved throughout theentire length of said arms.

U represents a transverse shaft, which is suspended at a suitabledistance below the shaft M by means of arms V, which are bent upwardfrom the said shaft and bolted to the sides of the frame.

\V represents a digger or scoop, which is of the shape here shown, isslightly curved throughout its length, and is concavo-convex intransverse section. On the under side of the said digger or scoop, at asuitable distance from the rear end thereof, is a box or block, X,through which the shaft U extends, and thereby the said digger or scoopis pivoted or hinged on the said shaft in such a manner that said diggeror scoop is adapted to incline in any desired angle.

Y represents a yoke, which is suspended from the front end of the frame,and has the in wardly-proj ecting spindles at the upper ends of its armjournaled in bearings Z. The said yoke is arranged transversely underthe digger or scoop and at a suitable distance below the same, and isprovided with a lever, A, by means of which it may be rocked or turnedin its bearings and caused to engage the under side of the digger orscoop, so as to raise or lower the same to any desired inclination.

B represents a drivers seat, which is mounted on astandard, O, thatrises from one side of the frame at a suitable distance from the frontend thereof.

D represents a vertical standard, that projects from the upper side ofthe rear bar, E, at the center of the same.

E represents a gathering-rake, which has ZOO its arm or lever pivotedata suitable distance from its front end in the upper end of thestandard. The rake is thereby adapted to be trailed in rear of themachine. To the front end of the arm or lever of the rake is attached acord, wire, or chain, F, which extends forward,and is connected to ahand-lever, G,that is fulcrumed on the frame A, and is within easy reachof the driver. By means of this hand-lever the rake may be raised orlowered, as will be readily understood.

I-I represents a carrier and separator, comprising a pair of endlesschains, which connect and engage with the sprocket-wheels G and K, andstrips or bars I,that connect the said end less chains, and are arrangedtransversely between them.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the machine is inoperation, the point of the scoop or digger is lowered to a suitabledepth in the ground, and as the machine advances the earth and potatoesin the row are forced upward on the inclined side ofthe scoop, and areacted upon by the rotating arms R in succession, the said arms servingto throw the earth and potatoes from the rear upper end of the scooponto the end of the conveyer and separator. The said arms It, as beforestated, are vertically movable on the keeper, and as each arm is broughtby the rotation of the hub to the under side thereof it slides downwardon the arms of the keeper by its own gravity. In the event that the arms10 should strike on the upper side of the potatoes while in operation,they will rise in their keepers,and thereby avoid cutting andbruising the potatoes. The potatoes, which are delivered on the endlessconveyer and separator, are carried rearward by the same and separatedfrom the adhering earth and roots, the said separator and conveyerserving as a screen or sieve.

From the rear end of the separator and conveyer the potatoes are droppedupon the ground, and the rake is supported in rear of the machine atsuch an elevation that it gathers the vines as they are discharged fromthe conveyor and forms them into piles as the machine advances. Fromtime to time the operator, by means of the hand-lever before described,tilts the rake lever or arm, so as to raise the rake, and therebydisengage it from the vines, thus leaving the latter at intervals 011the surface of the ground. The tines of the rake are sufficiently farapart to enable the potatoes to pass between them as the rake movesforward, and thereby the potatoes are left on the surface of the ground,where they may be readily picked. up.

A potato-digger thus constructed is cheap and simple, is strong anddurable, and will be found of great utility to persons engaged inraising potatoes.

\Vhen the scoop has accumulated a sufficient quantity of potatoes, itmay be raised by the described means and its rear end brought down onthe separator, depositing the potatoes thereon. The said rear end issufficiently higher than the separator to serve this purpose.

Having thus described my invention, I claim- 1. In a potato digger, thecombination of the frame, the scoop pivoted ata suitable distance fromits rear end on a shaft secured to arms depending from the sides of theframe, the diverging yoke Y, passing under the scoop in front of itspivotal point, and the upstanding lever within reach of the driversseat, by means of which the yoke may be raised or lowered, substantiallyas specified.

2. In apotato-digger, the combination, with the separator, of theswinging scoop pivoted to a shaft secured to arms depending from themain frame, the swinging yoke Y, and the lever A, standing upward withineasy reach of the drivers seat, substantially as specified.

In apotatodigger, the combination, with the main frame, of the scoop,the swinging yoke to raise and lower the scoop, the leverarm A, tooperate the yoke, the driving-shaft and eonveyer-wheels, the hub P onsaid shaft, the U-shaped keepers on said shaft, and the sweep-arms 1%,attached to the hub by said keepers and arranged to fall inward on thelatter when upstanding and to fall outward thereon when dependinsubstantially as and for the purpose specified.

41. In a potato-digger, the combination, with the main frame, of theinclined scoop, the separator in rear of said scoop, the main shafthaving the conveyor-wheels attached above the scoop, the sweep-arms It,attached to the hub on said shaft and adapted to fall inward on thekeepers that hold them to the hub of the shaft when raised and to falloutward thereon when depending, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signaturein presence of two witnesses.

HENRY LEVARN.

Witnesses:

Josnrrr L. llfAi an, Gno. E. StroNn.

